Back Again and Coming Home
by Capofmyheart
Summary: We have no clue what a home is like, our family has some major issues to say the least, but how could we fit in here better than anything else we have known before? I was surrounded by five black cloaked riders. Their swords were drawn, and to my dismay they did not seem as surprised to see me as I was to see them. BASED ON NOVEL. Oh, and my OC's are mutants! OFC x ? OMC x ?
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1: Just My Luck

**Ken (Tigress) ****  
Manhattan NY, Present Day**

I saw the rain soaked pavement hazily reflected the lights from passing cars and the street lamps through the window of the car. The smell of smoke thickened the air inside and made it hard to breath. There was an awkward silence as he jolted the car back and forth down the road.

I had just finished what was probably the most awful blind date in all of history and was trying not to throw up the small salad he made me order. I can still remember the way he replied when I said I wanted a cheeseburger, 'Oh come on, you wouldn't want to get fat now, would you?'

I guess I'm just that lucky.

I bolted out of the car after he had barely pulled up into my apartment building. The stench of cigarette smoke still clung to me, but being in the rain helped the smell a little, too bad it wasn't helping my mood. I quickly jumped up the small set stairs to the front door.

"Hey! Ken! Aren't you going to invite me in?" He called after me. _Well aren't you just a real charmer._ I could barely contain my growl.

"No, I don't think so." I yelled without looking back. I could smell his disappointment and anger from all the way over here. _Good._

I punched in the code, careful not to break the buttons in frustration. When I walked in I noticed the elevator was out of service. Again. This time I did growl. "And I thought this night couldn't get any worse." I muttered to myself. I lived in the penthouse, which were only 26 floors above me. _Lucky me._ It wasn't too bad though, considering it will take me less than two minutes to get up there. Being a class 5 feral has a few advantages. Not a lot, but a few.

I leaped up the stairs five at a time until I was finally I was at my penthouse. I unlocked the door and slammed it shut. I groaned and leaned against the closed door and slid to the ground. I was almost content just to sit there forever, but my stomach growled loudly in protest. "I hear ya..."

I walked into the kitchen and started searing a few steaks I grabbed from the fridge. While they were cooking I thought back to my blind date.

"Soooo, you just got fired from Burger King, you think all mutants should get the cure, and you live with your mother. Great." I muttered sarcastically to myself. I swore to myself I would never go on a blind date that my stupid brother James set up ever again. Heck, the next time I ever see that idiot of a twin I'll break his nose. I glanced at the clock. 11:32. He should be home by twelve from work. _Unless he got hurt again, _I reminded myself.

There isn't a lot of work for a mutant that is legal now days. I was pretty lucky, I could retract my claws and fangs at will, but for whatever reason, James couldn't. I am a golden tiger, so my hair color is a golden blonde with natural highlights. I still have my tiger ears and tail, but that can be easily covered up with a hat and baggy pants. James isn't as lucky, he's a white tiger so his snow white hair with black streaks, fangs and claws tend to draw some attention. We have been hassled our entire lives for being born with one extra gene. The X gene.

Mutant rights were making strides but there are still a lot of anti -mutant groups around. Prejudice was around every corner, and out of the two of us James took the most of it. My brother is a mechanical engineering genius, but colleges wouldn't accept him because of his obvious mutation. I think he works as a sort of solider for the government, but we have an unofficial don't ask don't tell policy about his jobs. He always comes home with a bunch of weapons in a large black bag slung across his shoulder, and once he came home with a couple bullet holes in him. Nearly gave me a heart attack, but he had healed from it hours before. One of the only pluses of being a class five feral mutant was our enhanced senses and insane healing abilities, but it is also a curse. I'm is convinced that because our cells reproduce so perfectly and quickly that we will never die; We will be stuck in an eternal youth while everyone around us dies.

I shook my head_. I really need something to take my mind off of things._ I grabbed my steaks and walked into the living room. I put in the first movie I touched and set my steaks on the end table. The stench of cigarettes was still making me gag so I ran to my room to change into some sweats while the trailers were running. I came back and finished my food before the title screen even came on, and wrapped myself in a blanket. The noise from the cars and rain outside was blaring so I cranked the volume. The joys of super hearing.

About half an hour later, I heard James come in. I paused the movie and was about to yell at him about the blind date when the light bulbs in the kitchen and living room exploded and the TV flickered out. Startled, I stood up on high alert. I turned to the window. _Weird, everyone else still has power.__  
_  
James ran into the living room. He always assumes the worst. "Ken? Ken! Are you okay?!" He grabbed my shoulders and checked my up and down to see if I had any injuries. He has always been very protective of me, especially after I disappeared seventy or so years ago and he found me a year later bleeding in a ditch.

I was about to reply that I was fine, but I choked on my words. Suddenly I felt a wave of dizziness pass over me, and as I collapsed, the ground beneath me disappeared, and I fell into oblivion.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2: Back Again

Important A/N:

**Sindarin**

Common

_Thoughts_

I will tell you if anyone is speaking in any other languages in this chapter and those to come, so without further ado...

**Ken (Tigress)**

Just east of Trollshaws forest, Oct. 20

When the world stopped spinning and I got my bearings I realized with a jolt that I was not in Manhattan anymore. I was lying on my back in a dark forest

My head snapped to the side as I heard a large hoof stamp with a loud thud next to my head. I scrambled up and turned but I realized I was surrounded by five towering black horses mounted by darkly armed riders.

The feral in me told me to run away from the pure malice that saturated the air around them. The smell of rotting flesh rolled off them in waves and I started to panic. Their swords were drawn, and to my dismay they did not seem as surprised to see me as I was to see them.

"Come!" Their shrill voices demanded, "To Mordor we will take you!"

At this point I would have hoped for a witty comeback to come out of my mouth but I was so stunned at this point all that came out was, "Whut?"

Then the nearest rabid-like horse reared and started punching its hooves at me. One clipped my shoulder with a sharp crack. Flames of pain licked up and down my arm instantly. My instincts finally kicked in and I roared from the pain. I dodged several swinging blades and kicking hooves as I tried to escape the circle they trapped me in. I lunged under a horse, somersaulted, then shot out of there like a bullet. Unfortunately I knew that even though I was a feral that this wouldn't last long if I couldn't slow them down or lose them somehow.

_How the hell do I get into these situations? _

High pitched screeches assaulted my ears almost making me trip. I pushed my legs faster than I had ever gone before. It was surprising how fast I could run with the little exercise I had been doing lately. Somehow that fact didn't comfort me like it should have.

The forest was dark from the cloudy night, and if I wasn't a feral it would have been pitch black. I wove though the dark trees in large zig-zags, attempting to confuse them, but there screeches were making my head pound and I had no clue where I was running.

Suddenly the leader's horse was on top of me. I twisted my body to face it and slashed at its throat with my claws. The rider kicked me with his armored foot and I landed hard on my back as I heard an unnatural whinny. I jumped up to see the rider pick himself off his dead horse so I turned tail and ran.

Pain scorched across my back and I realized I wasn't fast enough to evade the fallen rider's sword. But I kept running, knowing it would heal soon.

After what was probably a minute but felt like an hour, I burst into a clearing with the riders following a few hundred yards behind me, still in the foliage. In the clearing just a few yards from where I stood there was a brilliantly white horse carrying what looked to be a sickly child. Then two dark figures that were next to the horse drew a bow and the other unsheathed his sword.

I lifted my hands. "W-wait! Don't shoot!" I shouted in what I prayed was common.

The man with the sword stopped but I heard the unmistakable twang of a bow and my chest erupted with pain.

I found myself on my back from the sheer force of the blow. Hot blood soaked my white shirt as I struggled to stay conscious.

"**Hold! It is just a woman, Glorfindel.**" A deep voice spoke angrily.

Pain was radiating from my back now, and tears started to fall unchecked on my cheeks_. My back should have been healed by now_, I thought hazily.

Then another piercing screech broke through the air. I felt strong arms lift me up, and heard more voices.

"The enemy is upon us! Fly!"

"**Fly Asfeloth! Fly!**"

"Mr. Frodo!"

Then it all went black.

**James (Saber)**

Moria, Oct 23

I don't think I have ever been more angry and confused in my entire life than I am at this moment. Minutes ago I was coming home from a particularly rough assassination job, just to see my sister disappear before my eyes right before I was swallowed up into a black hole myself. It was maddening to say the least.

I slowly woke to feel hard, jagged rock digging into my shoulders and when I my head stopped pounding I found myself in a pitch black cave of some sort. The first thing that struck me was the overwhelming smell of death that seemed to coat everything like a strong smelling paint, making it hard to breath. My eyes quickly adjusted to the lack of light and I saw a stone stairway to my right that seemed to go up for miles. Skeletons of small humanoid creatures were scattered everywhere with various ancient weapons stuck in them.

_What. The. Hell._

**A/N:** Just made some small edits to this. Please feel free to review!


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3:

**Ken (Tigress)**

Later that same day…

The first thing I noticed as I slowly gained consciousness was a dull throb from my back and a pinching pain in my chest. This was very confusing for me, because I have never actually woken up in pain before. If my injuries were ever severe enough to incapacitate me, I would just wake up and they would be gone.

My body rhythmically jostled, increasing the pain from my wounds and I vaguely noted I was still being held by two arms. My ears picked up the hurried strides of the man carrying me and the strangely soothing sound of a rushing river.

My clouded mind made my limbs and eyelids feel like lead, but I resisted falling back into slumber when I heard voices.

"Go back!" a voice cried in defiance. "Go back to the land of Mordor, and follow me no more!"

Then a harsh laughter shattered through the air. "Come back! Come back! To Mordor we will take you and her!"

_Both of us… so they want him too…?_

"By Elbereth and Luthien the Fair, you shall have neither the Ring nor me!"

_Ring? All this fuss over jewelry..? They're worse than black Friday shoppers…_

The voices went silent and my ears could only pick up the snorts of horses and the rising sound of rushing water. The water increased in speed so fast that I could hear the stones start to roll down the raging river. Frantic whinnies burst into the air and were just as quickly drowned out by the flood.

As the river slowly became quiet, I heard a soft cry.

"Mr. Fordo! Oh, no… He is cold as ice! How far is Rivendale from here?" the distressed voice asked.

"Just short distance now. Come Estel! We must make haste!" There was a pause before the same voice turned from calm to heated as I heard him approach.

"What purpose do you have in bringing the corpse of Sauron's spy?" His voice was sharp and stung my ears.

"I would not have animals lay waste to a woman's body." The man holding me replied.

"She does not look like a spy." a softer voice said.

"Like you have ever seen a spy Pip." Another new voice chastised.

"I'm just saying she doesn't look particularly threatening."

"Right you are. She looks as if a puff of wind would blow her away!"

"Oh! Come look Merry, are those cat ears poking out of her hair?"

_Aaaand that's my cue to leave._ I have never had any good luck come of my mutation, and I sure don't expect any to come now.

The man holding me interrupted their tangent. "Surely, it looks as if the poor girl was caught up in events most unfortunate." There was a brief, but tense pause.

"**That creature led the Nasgul straight to us, and you dare suggest I bear the shame of her death?**" The other man hissed.

"**Pippin speaks true, she was of no threat.**" The man countered, **"She has no likeness of any spy I have seen-**"

_She's also not dead. _I wanted to say, but instead all that came out of my mouth was a noise akin to a dying cow, which isn't too far off with how I feel at the moment.

Their heads turned so quickly toward me, my sensitive ears picked up the audible crack in their necks.

A shocked silence carried on for a few moments before it was broken by a small voice.

"Did she just…"

The pain sharply increased as I felt myself being laid down and a gasp slipped unchecked pass my lips.

"By the Valar, she's alive!" He exclaimed.

_Brilliant deduction Sherlock._

My mind started to clear a bit as I dragged myself out of my half-conscious state. I opened my eyes and blinked the bleariness away to find five heads circled around me with various emotions on their faces.

Three of the faces looked rather curious, but one turned to look at something over his shoulder worriedly.

On my right there was a man with strikingly handsome features and golden hair but he glared down at me in disdain.

The last face was a rugged looking man with a stoic expression except his eyebrows pinched slightly from either annoyance or concern.

_Come on Ken, get up!_ By my count there was five of them and only one of me, and I didn't like those numbers one bit.

They stumbled back in amazement as I hoisted myself off the ground while trying to hide a wince.

I looked down to see what was hurting my chest to find an arrow sticking out right between my lungs.

I sighed, "You have got to be kidding me…" I muttered to myself.

The dark haired man raised his hand in protest as I swiftly yanked the arrow out of my chest with a growl. The pain increased for a moment, but quickly dissipated as my body swiftly repaired itself.

_And now I have a bloody hole in my favorite sweats. Great. _

I looked back at Blondie and narrowed my eyes as I noticed the bow and quiver peeking out over his shoulder.

"Tell me," I wheezed before clearing my throat, "do you make a habit of shooting damsels in distress or am I just special?"

Quicker than I thought was humanly possible he whipped out his weapon again and jumped in front of a white horse, blocking my view of someone draped over its back.

"Damsels do not survive fatal wounds. What is your purpose here, spy?" He barked.

I was barely paying any attention to what he was saying though because at that moment I had caught a glimpse of his ears. _He looks just like… wait a second. _

Continuing to ignore his threats I took a better look at his weapon and clothing. He was wearing an off white tunic with pale green breeches and his bow was intricately carved with vines. The colors, fabric and craftsmanship all screamed… elfish.

My gaze quickly moved on to the three homely and tired looking halflings that had taken up defensive stances in front of the horse as well. _They look just like Bilbo…_ I lastly turned to look at the dark haired man and saw his well-worn rustic attire and sword now drawn from its sheath.

My suspicions were solidified as I suddenly realized that we weren't talking in English, but I had naturally slipped into speaking the common tongue.

_I can't believe it… I'm back! _My mind reeled, I couldn't fathom why Gandalf would bring me back, especially with the circumstances of my unwilling return…

I was effectively broken out of my shocked reverie when the elf shouted, "I have not time nor the patience for these games, spy!"

And with another twang he loosed another arrow, but this time my feral reflexes were able to catch it two inches from my nose. My back flared with pain from stretching my skin, but I only allowed it to show by a twitch of my nose.

My pain and irritation let the feral in me growl. I smiled dangerously, flashing my fangs. "That makes two of us then Goldie-locks." I carelessly discarded the arrow and watched the elf gape like a fish on land.

In a moment however, he overcame his shock and readied another arrow. I hesitated to attack; much to my feral's displeasure. I didn't want to kill any of these people. Well, maybe Goldie-locks, but the man and hobbits seemed decent enough.

I pounced and grabbed the elf's hands that reached for the swords strapped to his back. I spun him around, ripped the weapons off him and tossed them high up into the closest tree. Unfortunately I didn't see the dagger strapped to his thigh and he let out a war cry and attacked. I was forced to bock a stab with my forearm, creating a deep gash that cut straight to the bone. I yelped from the pain but was able to push him away a few feet with my foot before he renewed his attack. The elf was quick, but I got the upper hand when I extended my claws and was able to pry the dagger out of his hand. He landed several punches and kicks that knocked the breath out of me and created deep bruises. I blocked as best I could but the elf came at me full force, and I was struggling not to scumb to my feral instincts and just rip his throat out.

"Glorfindel! Halt!" The dark haired man shouted. "Frodo has not the time for this madness!"

The man's shouts made the elf pause and turn his head slightly, giving me the opportunity to knock him out with the butt of the dagger. The hobbits shouted when they saw him fall.

I clutched my newfound dagger with a sweaty palm as I faced the man and hobbits still standing in front of the horse. The man had one had stretched out toward me as if I were a wild animal he was trying to calm.

_After that performance that is what they think you are. A wild animal. _I bitterly thought.

"Peace," His voice was soft, as if trying to lull me. "I am Strider, Chieftain of the Dúnedain. This is Samwise Gamgee-" He gestured to a chubby hobbit with light hair. "-Perigrin Took-" He gestured to the darker haired hobbit. "-and Meridoc of the Shire." He added lastly gesturing to the dirty blonde hobbit. The entire time he never took his eyes off me. They were deep, and his gaze was almost penetrating.

_That's some introduction… chieftain… weird. Although this is much better that him just swinging a sword at me like I expected._

"T-tigress." I stuttered before clearing my throat awkwardly. "You can call me Tigress." I said a bit stronger, giving him my alias instead of my real name.

I paused and looked around a bit, keeping Strider within my line of sight. There was a ford on my left and a path and trees on my right. Sharp mountains shadowed the background of the trees and this place looked very familiar. "I am back in Arda, aren't I?" I asked with a feeling of dread creeping up on me. I have spent seventy years of trying to suppress my memories of this place just to have myself unwillingly thrown back into it. I'd be lying, however, if I said there wasn't a no-so small part of me that was happy.

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What do you mean? Back in Arda? I wasn't aware one could come and go from this world on a whim."

I scoffed, "Well, I can't, wish I could though. Then I would be so dependent upon that blasted wizard!"

_I wonder where that crotchety old man is hiding. Couldn't be hiding from me from guilt, but I wish that were the case… _

Suddenly one of the hobbits, Samwise I think, snapped. "Mr. Frodo has not the time for this; we must make haste to Rivendale!"

"Rivendale!" I exclaimed, "Is that where we are?"

I started taking in my surroundings with a new awareness. "This is the Great East Road… but…" I trailed off. _Where exactly is Gandalf then? I know where I am, but has I been seventy years for Arda as well? And then there is the question of those Black riders… Gha! Why do these things keep happening to me?_

My head spun with questions I knew no answers to.

"You know of Rivendale?" Strider was becoming impatient now.

I snorted cockily, "Oh, I know Lord Elrond personally." I looked down at the elf I incapacitated. "He probably won't be too happy about that though." I shrugged, "Eh, I'll just carry him back and explain everything… It should be fine." I tried half-heartedly to convince myself.

"Forgive me if I doubt a mortal woman such as yourself would be acquainted with a Lord Elf, let alone be able to carry a person twice your own weight."

I gave an unladylike snort and rolled my eyes. "It's like you didn't even _see_ me pull the arrow out of my chest and then proceed to kick your friend's royal ass." I said with mock offense.

At that he just glared angrily at me and took a defensive stance.

I peered over his shoulder in curiosity at the injured hobbit lying across the horses back. His forehead shined with sweat and I could hear his heart rate beat rapidly against his tiny chest. His breating was shallow and fast. He was obviously struggling to even breathe. My brows pinched with worry. _Well that doesn't sound good… _

"As much as I am sure we would both love to chit-chat for a while longer, it looks like your little friend there is going to need so serious help." I said gesturing to the hobbit on the horse.

He seized me up for a moment before frowning and giving a curt nod. I strode over the elf and proceeded to awkwardly toss the lengthy men over my shoulder in what I knew looked like a ridiculous version of a fireman's carry. Even though I was a good 5'6", his arms dragged along the ground behind me. I vaguely noted the deep ache in my back, but quickly dismissed it as nothing to worry about.

I started a brisk pace down the road away from the ford. I hesitated when I didn't hear any foot steeps or hoof beats following. I turned my head over my shoulder just to see a couple of the hobbits trying to contain there laughter and Strider and Samwise try to get them moving.

I turned back away from them and continued walking. "Hurry up ya slow-pokes, time's a wasten!"


End file.
